Hero
by DyraDrabbles
Summary: Zack is sent back in time in an attempt to prevent the Nibelheim incident. He didn't account for royally screwing up everything he tries to fix.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

Zack hesitated. He had been so confident after talking to Cloud for the last time. So sure he could just waltz up to the past incarnation of Sephiroth and convince him not to go to Nibelheim. Save the world with one conversation. And now, here he was. In the past. Standing in front of Sephiroth's office door. Hesitating.

He had been at this door plenty of times in his original past. In fact, most of those times he had been in an enormous amount of trouble. He had always figured that Sephiroth was likely to murder him for some prank he had pulled. While a little unreasonable at the time, it was a more logical reason to be afraid of standing in front of this door. That wasn't the case for this visit. He wasn't in any trouble. This was practically a chat. It was nothing to be scared of.

So why couldn't he muster up the courage to knock?

Zack let his hand fall back to his side. He couldn't really avoid Sephiroth this time around. He had to stop him. That plan wouldn't work so well if he was too scared to get close to the man. Zack took a deep breath and tried to calm his nerves.

_What am I so afraid of?_ He closed his eyes, trying hard to organize his thoughts. This wasn't the man that Zack had to fight in the reactor. The Sephiroth behind this door was the old hero of Wutai. The one who would train Zack when Angeal was busy on a mission.

The man Zack had respected.

There was nothing stopping him. Zack opened his eyes, raising his fist to knock on the door. His eyes full of determination, he prepared himself to be face-to-face with Sephiroth for the first time since the Lifestream.

He stopped again.

Zack groaned and let his shoulders droop. "I can't do this…" With a sigh, he straightened back up and stared down Sephiroth's office door. _He's not the same guy. I know that. I like this Sephiroth. This one is not a raging lunatic._ But even with thoughts like that, Zack still found himself shaking at the thought of those mako-enhanced cyan eyes. His stomach still felt like someone had hit it with an ice spell. He wanted so badly to just be able to open the door, to just to get his mission from Minerva started. He knew what he was going to say already. It was all simple, theoretically. He'd open the door, say Sephiroth's name to get his attention, and Sephiroth would look up from a book he was reading…

_"Who is it?!"_

Zack shivered. No. That was Sephiroth's reaction in the library. This was his office. There were no evil Jenova Project papers to be read in Sephiroth's office.

"Alright, Zack," he tried to psych himself up. "You can do this. You got this. All you have to do is knock on the door, then you open it and Sephiroth will say–"

"Why are you ranting to yourself in front of my office, Zack?"

Zack yelped in surprise and stepped back a few feet. Those cyan eyes he had been so terrified to see were suddenly staring right at him, narrowed slightly in confusion. The man looked exactly the same. Same old black uniform, same impossibly long silver hair. Just like how he looked in the Lifestream.

"S-Sephiroth." Zack could have kicked himself for the stutter.

Sephiroth merely raised an eyebrow. "Yes?"

Zack opened his mouth to speak, but no sound came out. His eyes dropped to Sephiroth's gloved hands, not being able to look the man in the eye. _What the hell do I do now?!_ He swallowed quickly, noticing Sephiroth cross his arms. The way he did when he was getting impatient. That was a bad sign. "I, uh, I just wanted to…" It was like trying to talk to the crazy Sephiroth in the Lifestream. Zack tried in vain to come up with the right words, and Sephiroth just stood there watching. Amused. Zack risked a glance at Sephiroth's face again, expecting a malicious sneer.

Instead, Sephiroth's expression seemed to have softened.

Zack stared openly now. "…Um…" His muscles jerked from being too alert as Sephiroth slowly shook his head.

"I gathered from your conversation with yourself that you wanted to speak to me. Is that correct?" Sephiroth's head tilted at the question.

Zack regained some of his composure. "Y-Yeah." He cleared his throat. "I need to talk to you." _Stand up tall_. _Decorum._ "It's about our next mission. To Nibelheim."

At that, Sephiroth nodded. He stepped partially inside his office before addressing Zack. "Come in, then. I have some time."

As Zack walked cautiously into the office, he looked around for any traps. Anything that Sephiroth could use to trick Zack into a sense of safety before he stabbed him with Masamune. He stopped and checked himself when Sephiroth harmlessly sat down at the polished wooden desk. _This is NOT the Sephiroth I'm used to. This is the sane one._ Zack frowned. _I need to remember that._ Looking again, he realized everything in the room was exactly as he recalled. The bookshelf filled to the brim with dull texts about war and strategy. The nearly full inbox placed neatly next to the just as full outbox. The random plant in the corner that Angeal had probably brought in to liven the place up. All of it was exactly how he remembered it. Even Sephiroth, sitting regally at his desk with his eyes looking straight into Zack's seemed like some long lost memory come back to life.

"What did you wish to discuss?" Sephiroth rearranged some of the paperwork lying around as he looked at Zack.

"This next mission…" Zack tried to remember all the points of his argument. "I don't like it."

Sephiroth stared at him for a moment. "Should I be concerned?"

"Well, to be honest, it's really…" He stopped. _Shoot. What's the word I'm looking for? _He'd prepared a whole mental list of questions to convince Sephiroth to refuse the mission to Nibelheim. Now he couldn't even remember his own word choice.

"Really what, Zack?" Sephiroth asked. Zack remembered the man mentioning he had 'some' time. He was probably wasting it now. Great.

"Really…The mission…It's just sketchy!" he finally blurted out. _Ugh, that was definitely not the word I wanted…_ Before Sephiroth could question his diction, he continued. "I mean, just hear me out, okay?" Sephiroth said nothing, but his small nod gave Zack all the hope he needed to keep talking. "Alright, so we're going to this town out in the middle of nowhere. In fact, I _know_ it's in the middle of nowhere because I have a friend who's from Nibelheim. He'd agree." Sephiroth's eyes narrowed again, but he remained silent. Zack took that to mean he could keep going. "So you and me, SOLDIER Firsts, are going to this dinky little town because there's a problem with the reactor. First off, shouldn't the maintenance people be coming with us? They're the ones that actually know how to fix it."

"That depends on what is wrong with the reactor," Sephiroth commented. "A simple problem could be fixed by SOLDIERs. If the problem proves too difficult for us, we are to contact Shin-Ra to send the mechanics." Zack crossed his arms at that point's defeat, biting his bottom lip. Sephiroth continued, "There are also reports from the townspeople of strange monsters, possibly mutated from mako exposure."

He could work with that. "Okay…Well, the monsters shouldn't be that hard to beat, even if the reactor's enhancing them somehow, right? Why do they need _two_ SOLDIER Firsts to go?" He hoped Sephiroth would at least see the logic there. The guy knew he was the strongest SOLDIER Shin-Ra ever had, so Zack figured he must realize that two Firsts would be overkill.

"The Turks have been unable to estimate how strong the monsters have become," Sephiroth countered. "And, as I told you before, the previous operatives we sent have gone missing. Besides, all SOLDIER operatives are required to have backup unless given special assignment."

Zack narrowed his eyes. "Since _when?_ What about all those missions I took by myself?"

"You were being monitored by someone, Zack. Either via your PHS or a headset. That information is located in the SOLDIER Operative Manual." Zack was pretty sure the expression on Sephiroth's face now was sheer boredom. Hard to tell with that mask of indifference. That was something he had never been great at in the past – reading Sephiroth's emotions. Zack mentally filed that under 'things to improve this time around.'

"Well…I…" Zack resisted the urge to slump forward. Sephiroth's surprising him at the door had knocked all of his arguments out of his head. He struggled to remember them now, but to no avail. Two measly arguments had been all he could recall.

He wasn't going to convince him at this rate.

"…Sephiroth," Zack met the man's gaze, trying hard not to flinch under it. "You've gotta believe me. Something's just _off_ about this mission, and I really don't think we should go."

Sephiroth sighed and broke eye contact, to Zack's relief. He sat there quietly for a moment, thinking. Zack clung to the desperate hope that his pleading had the slightest effect. When Sephiroth looked up again, Zack found himself almost praying that Sephiroth would refuse the mission right then and there.

"Zack," Sephiroth started.

"Yeah?" Zack asked eagerly. Sephiroth's irritated stare was enough to shut him up immediately.

"Zack, if you're that concerned about the mission, then I would recommend bringing up your issues to President Shin-Ra."

The block of ice in Zack stomach returned.

"The _President?_" he asked in disbelief. "Is this mission that important?!"

"This mission was a request to the President by one of the board directors," Sephiroth explained. "He has the authority in this case." He pulled a small stack of papers from his inbox onto the desk and grabbed a pen. Zack began to panic. He knew that behavior. This conversation was done.

"But Sephiroth–!"

"I am able to listen to your concerns about the mission Zack, but I can't cancel it." He looked up from his paperwork briefly to be sure his message came across. "Talk to Shin-Ra. You are dismissed."

Zack clenched his fists, but seeing Sephiroth with his attention so clearly on the papers he couldn't help but be reminded of his focus on the lab reports. He stormed out of the office before the memory could shake him up any further.

Down the hall, the wall suffered the brunt of Zack's frustration. He nearly put his fist through it, thinking sourly that he seemed to have no problem with knocking on anything that wasn't Sephiroth's office door. Zack trudged into the elevator and jammed his thumb into the 'Door Close' button. "Well," he huffed. "_That_ sure went well." As the door slid to a close, Zack scowled at it. "Geez… 'Talk to Shin-Ra,' huh?" He looked over the several floor buttons. "Now _there's_ idea. 'Hi Mr. President, you don't really know me, but I think your mission's crap and it'd be stupid to send Sephiroth because he might flip his lid and kill everyone!' Yeah," he groaned. "_Real_ convincing."

It had been so easy in his head. He'd argue his points to Sephiroth, Sephiroth would question the validity of the mission, cancel it, and there'd be no more Nibelheim. No incident. No Jenova, no Meteor, no Reunion, nothing. Zack leaned on the side of the elevator sullenly. He'd come back to change things, not flounder like an idiot in Sephiroth's office. He recalled his conversation with Cloud before he left.

_"Don't screw it up."_

He'd promised. Zack hunched over, aggravated. He wouldn't screw up this chance. He couldn't.

Zack was startled by the elevator jerking into motion. Slowly it descended floors. Zack sighed. "Guess I should've picked a floor sooner…" At level 49, the elevator came to a halt. The doors slid open, revealing a SOLDIER Second Class in full uniform. Even with his helmet on, however, Zack couldn't help but grin at the sight.

"Kunsel!"

"Hey, Zack," Kunsel moved to let him exit onto the SOLDIER floor. "It still surprises me that you can recognize me when I look like one of the regular drones."

"Hey, there's no mistaking you, buddy," Zack patted the other man on the back amiably. He couldn't believe how long it had been since he'd seen the Second. Zack had to admit, seeing all his old friends again was a definite plus to this new life. "I'd recognize you anywhere. Except maybe with your helmet _off_ for once."  
"Oh, ha ha." Kunsel stated sarcastically. "So what trouble are you up to today?"

"Just…" Zack's mood deflated considerably. "Just, y'know…talking to Sephiroth."

"Wow, talk about your mood swings. Since when is talking to Sephiroth so depressing for you?" Kunsel placed a hand on Zack's shoulder sympathetically. "Weren't you trying to talk to him for weeks? You kept trying to catch him when he wasn't locked up in the Data Room."

"It didn't go quite as well as I'd hoped."

"Oh," Kunsel lightly patted Zack's shoulder. He looked up as the elevator door closed, but decided to ignore it. He looked back to Zack. "So what did you two talk about?"

"Just our next mission," Zack sighed, crossing his arms again in frustration. "I was trying to convince him that we shouldn't go."

"Ahh, a cancelation request." Kunsel nodded sagely. "Why?"

Zack debated telling Kunsel about the overall sketchiness of the mission. Kunsel might be able to word his concerns better, but the guy did have a way of knowing too much. Probably better to keep his mouth shut on this one.

"Because of reasons."

Kunsel laughed. "I see. So what'd Sephiroth say?"

"He told me to go talk to the president." Zack's shoulders slumped.

Kunsel whistled low. "High priority mission."

"I don't see why – it's just a town out in the middle of nowhere. I mean Sephiroth said a board director requested it, but..." Zack looked up suddenly. A _board director_. Someone on the board had requested specifically that they go to Nibelheim. _But who?_ He grinned suddenly, grabbing Kunsel by the shoulders. "I think I know what I'm gonna to talk to Shin-Ra about! Thanks buddy!" He clapped Kunsel on the back and pressed the button for the elevator.

"Wait…what? What do you mean?"

As the elevator door opened, Zack hopped in and pressed the button for the President's floor, swiping his SOLDIER ID when the system requested for authorization. "You've been a lot of help, thanks man!" The door shut and Kunsel stood there, mouth slightly ajar.

"…What just happened?"

Zack rolled back and forth on his heels as he waited for the elevator to reach the top floor. He was intensely curious now. The thought of where the mission had come from had never crossed his mind before, just how to stop it from happening. _Who would want us in Nibelheim? Scarlet? Heidegger?_ Neither Director seemed likely. However, Zack thought, Rocket Town was only one town over. _Maybe the Space Program? _A faulty reactor and mutated monsters could probably interfere with their work on the rocket.

The doors slid open. Zack stepped into the hallway and looked around the corner. There. Two staircases leading up to President Shin-Ra's office. Zack started toward them, and then stopped. A young secretary was watching him, looking thoroughly unamused.

"Do you have an appointment?"

"Uh," Zack stopped in his tracks, one foot still in the air. "Nnnnooo?"

The secretary rolled her eyes. "You can't go up then. The President is meeting with the head of Turks."

"Oh." Zack put his foot down.

"You can wait here if you like. He has to finish within the hour." She returned her gaze to her computer.

"Oh!" Zack cheered up instantly. "Thanks a lot," he glanced at her name tag, "Janet." She looked up at him disdainfully. He grinned in return.

Janet sighed in irritation. Zack stuck his hands in his pockets and began to pace, looking up the staircases. He half-expected someone to walk down right then. _Head of Turks, huh._ _Isn't that…_ Zack turned to Janet again, questioning, "So by 'head of Turks,' did you mean the head Turk or the Director?"

"Head Turk," she provided. "In fact…" She nodded to the staircase again. Zack turned sharply and saw the figure descending down the staircase. The familiar black suit and slicked back ponytail were a welcome blast from the past. Here, he was in his natural habitat. The last time Zack had seen the Turk in action he'd been investigating any remnants of Sephiroth still lodged in the Northern Crater.

Tseng stopped halfway down the staircase. "Zack?"

"Heya!" Zack waved amiably. "I needed to talk to Shin-Ra. You done?"

"Yes, although," Tseng watched Zack as the First practically jogged up the staircase. "I have to ask. Why do you need to talk to the President?"

Should have expected a Turk to start questioning him. "It's about the mission Sephiroth and I are assigned to. I have some issues with it." When Tseng eyed him curiously, Zack pouted. Come to think of it, Tseng was the President's main bodyguard. Of course he looked suspicious, suddenly demanding to talk to Shin-Ra. He probably should have thought this through.

"Issues…I see. Have you spoken with Sephiroth?" Tseng peered straight into Zack's eyes. Zack knew it had to be some sort of intimidation technique that the Turks were taught. It was working. Even though he knew he was only a few steps below Tseng on the staircase, it felt even more like the man was towering over him. Looming even.

"Yeah…I did. Sephiroth told me to talk to Shin-Ra."

Tseng held his gaze steadily, expression unwavering. Zack had to wonder how he managed. How Sephiroth managed. Did they both get taught how keep their faces blank like robots? It was creepy.

"You may need an introduction," Tseng finally said.

Zack paused, processing. "Introduction?"

"The President hasn't met you, nor have you ever been in his presence. Isn't that right?" At Zack's sheepish nod, the Turk gestured up the stairs. "In that case, I'll introduce you."  
"Why do you need to?" Zack asked. He hadn't been aware there was a protocol for speaking to the President. Although, with how many useless protocols the Company had about things like how long your hair could be before you joined SOLDIER, he couldn't be too surprised.

"He won't take you seriously if you just stroll into his office, Zack."

"Guess I'm lucky you're here, then, huh?" Zack grinned at the man.

"Indeed."

Zack stared at the Turk before him for a moment. He wasn't sure why Tseng was helping him. They were acquaintances for sure, but he never really considered whether or not they were actually friends. Even if they were, getting introduced by the head of the Turks seemed like it should be a pretty big deal.

"Why are you doing this, Tseng?" Zack asked.

"Well, to be honest…" Tseng's lips quirked up into a small smirk. "…I heard you were trying to get the mission cancelled."

"Uh. Yeah." Zack would have appreciated it if the Turk could stop knowing everything he was up to. The guy was almost as bad as Kunsel.

"If it is cancelled, it would mean less work for me." Tseng began to ascend the staircase, followed by the even more confused Zack.

"Why's that?"

"Following the disappearance of Director Lazard, Sephiroth and I have each been assigned half of his old workload. That includes mission assignments and briefings. The cancellation of your next mission would mean less for me to do." He didn't spare Zack a second glance as he headed up the last of the stairs.

_Oh. So it's for personal gain. _Zack sighed and then turned to wave goodbye to Janet, who watched apathetically after him. He took the last of the steps two at a time and found himself in a new hallway, with plush red carpet under his feet. Tseng stood in front of a large polished door, waiting.

"Be aware," he gave the SOLDIER a pointed look. "The President is not interested in frivolities. Best to get straight to the point." At Zack's nod, he opened the door and stepped inside.

Zack took a deep breath and entered the large office. He remembered watching Cloud's adventures while in the Lifestream – probably the only time he had actually gotten a good look at the President's office. Now, he thought, there was a distinct lack of blood and dead body. Everything was polished and clean. The full length windows behind the President's desk provided a stunning look over the vast domain of Midgar. The marble pillars, the long elegant desk…Everything spoke of power and wealth. Of a man on top of the world. Zack could see why Sephiroth was the favorite SOLDIER operative now. A human weapon encased in good leather and shimmering silver armor was just one more elegant sample of Shin-Ra's glory. In comparison, Zack might as well be one of the standard robo-guards. He had to wonder if the President even knew his name.

The man in question looked up from a report as Zack and Tseng approached the desk. Staring at Zack, he asked, "Who is this?"

_He has no clue who I am_, Zack thought sourly. He had hoped being a First Class would have meant _something_ to the President. Apparently not.

"SOLDIER First Class Zack Fair, sir," Tseng provided. Zack quickly saluted. "He wished to discuss his next mission with you."

"And what mission might that be?" Shin-Ra reached lazily for a cigar from his desk.

"Sir. Permission to speak freely, sir?" Zack asked, still holding his salute. It may have been several years since he had been in the presence of his bosses, but he still remembered protocol.

Shin-Ra narrowed his eyes confusedly for a moment before the situation dawned on him. "Ah, yes, yes." He lit his cigar and puffed it a few times. "At ease, Mister…Fair, was it?"

Zack dropped his hand and relaxed slightly. "Yes, sir."

"Right. Now, which mission was it that you wanted to talk about? I'm sorry, but I can't be expected to remember every SOLDIER's schedule. Well," he chuckled to himself, one hand on his large stomach, "Unless you're the next Sephiroth."

Zack frowned, but let the comment slide. "Well, sir, my next mission is _with_ Sephiroth. We're going to Nibelheim."

"Oh, yes, that's right! I knew the name Fair sounded familiar," Shin-Ra nodded sagely. He took a long drag from his cigar, momentarily reminding Zack of puffer fish in a red suit. "Is something the matter with the mission?"

Zack hardened himself. "There might be, sir. I'd like to know who requested it."

Shin-Ra leaned back in his chair, removing the cigar from his mouth and stroking his blonde mustache. "Is that relevant?"

"I think so," Zack tried to keep his hands still as he spoke without much luck. He gesticulated with almost everything he said. _What was that Sephiroth called it before? Oh, yeah…_ he grimaced, forcing his hands back to his sides. _'Lack of discipline.'_ At Shin-Ra's curious stare, he explained himself. "There's a lot about this mission that seems strange to me. I don't understand why it's so important for Sephiroth and me to go. I was kinda hoping that knowing who requested the mission might make it clear."

"I see," Shin-Ra's eyebrows furrowed slightly. "Well, I wouldn't worry about it if I were you. I have been assured that this mission is of great importance and that it is absolutely necessary for, well," he looked curiously at the ceiling. "Necessary for Sephiroth to go, at least. In fact," he nodded to Tseng, who managed to stand stiffer somehow, "Tseng was just informing me that the deserter we've been hunting for so long has been spotted nearby."

"Deserter…?" Zack searched his past memories of the time period. Only one deserter still living came to mind. The SOLDIER First that had wreaked so much havoc on the company. Zack remembered they hadn't had their final showdown just yet. "You mean Genesis?" He turned to Tseng incredulously. Had that been the real reason for the mission? Sure, he recalled seeing Genesis briefly at the reactor, but Sephiroth had already started going crazy at that point. There were more important things at hand. _Were we supposed to go after Genesis?_ No, Sephiroth would have reacted accordingly when he saw the man. Instead of arresting or attacking him, Sephiroth had merely exchanged words. Vicious words, but just words.

"There's nothing definite," Tseng clarified. "There have been sightings of Genesis, or his copies, in Rocket Town and Mt. Nibel. Nothing in the town, but it wouldn't hurt to be on the lookout."

"In that case, shouldn't this be a Turk mission?" Zack turned back to the President. "It doesn't seem like we have enough information to go on. Isn't that their job?" He didn't see that he had slightly ruffled Tseng with the question.

"I have adequate information; you and Sephiroth are just on a need-to-know basis," Shin-Ra huffed.

"Is the name of the person who requested this mission on a need-to-know basis, too?" Zack countered. He was still too suspicious of the origins of the mission to give up now.

"Well, no, however-"

"Sir, Professor Hojo is here for your 5 o' clock."

Shin-Ra hastily pressed the intercom to his secretary. "Yes, thank you, send him in." Looking at Zack again, he smiled slightly. "Well, Mr. Fair, perhaps you can ask the requester yourself."

Zack blanched. _Hojo_. He always forgot the man's real title was Director of the Science Department and not simply Creepy Bastard. The last time he saw the Professor was when he was getting poked and prodded with needles during the guy's crazy experiments. Unpleasant memories of captivity and desperation came flooding back to him, the scientist's malicious grin seared forever into his mind. He heard the door open and a chill went through his entire body.

"Professor Hojo!" Shin-Ra leaned back in his chair again. "We were just talking about you. This SOLDIER was just inquiring as to who requested the Nibelheim mission. Perhaps you could explain a few things to him?"

Zack went completely stiff as Hojo walked slowly by him. Same greasy hair tied in a ponytail and gaia-knows-_what_ stains all over his lab coat. The slightly hunched man scowled at him, peering at Zack through his circular glasses. The disapproval on his face could not be more obvious.

"I only requested Sephiroth's presence on that mission," the man sneered.

"Yes, but we have policies to adhere to," Shin-Ra explained. "If the mission is as high class as you claim, Sephiroth could probably use an extra set of hands." Zack looked gratefully at the President. For the first time he realized that the President might actually prove to be a helpful ally, despite all the seedy Company business. At the very least he might be able to make Zack's personal mission easier. He turned back to Hojo with a triumphant smile on his lips. Hojo's knowing smirk erased that smile as quick as it had appeared.

"Ah, of course. _Policies._"

"The SOLDIER Operative Manual dictates that all SOLDIER operatives are required to have backup unless they're given special assignment," Zack repeated Sephiroth's words, hoping his appearance of knowledge on the subject might make him seem more credible. Hojo snickered.

"Indeed it does. However, is it not also true that SOLDIER currently has a shortage of operatives?" Zack felt his stomach sink. He'd forgotten how much SOLDIER had been hurting for more people at the time. He cursed under his breath. "It seems to me that it would be a waste of manpower for this man to accompany Sephiroth to Nibelheim." Hojo waved at Zack dismissively. "Sephiroth is perfectly capable of handling this mission on his own. Besides, wouldn't it be better if our supposed 'strongest military force on the planet' were to learn how to operate without the benefit of a safety net?"

"I see…Hmm, yes, you do have a point." Shin-Ra had gone back to stroking his mustache contemplatively.

"But sir!" Zack protested immediately. "What about the policies? It's a breach of protocol!" He didn't want Sephiroth to go to Nibelheim in the first place! Zack repressed a shudder at the thought of how bad things could go if Sephiroth was alone. _No one could stop him…!_

"_Outdated_ protocols, certainly," Hojo droned, clearly enjoying Zack's panic. "It would be much wiser to adapt to the situation at hand…sir."

Shin-Ra tapped his cigar on the ashtray before taking another puff. He looked between Zack and Hojo, weighing the options. Finally he sighed. "Well, I suppose I'll have to think it over. Tseng, you and Mr. Fair are dismissed. I have matters to discuss with Professor Hojo."

Zack took a step forward, desperate. "Sir, the mission-"

"I will think over your request, SOLDIER. For now, you are dismissed."

Tseng walked over to Zack and placed a hand on his shoulder. Zack begrudgingly saluted once more before being led to the exit by the Turk, being sure to give Hojo a not-so-subtle death glare as he went. Hojo smiled like a fox in return.

After Zack and Tseng had left, Hojo turned back to the President, lacing his fingers behind his back. "Sir, regarding my specimen…"

"Yes, right, what was it you needed, Professor?"

"I had hoped that after Sephiroth completes his mission that my specimen could be relocated to my labs here in Midgar." Hojo approached the large desk, his mouth twitched into a smile. "It is currently part of a simple test I am performing. The test will be complete when Sephiroth has seen it, after which it would be put to better use here," Hojo failed to suppress a short giggle.

"This won't have any adverse effects on Sephiroth, will it?" Shin-Ra asked, suddenly concerned. "He is our most valuable operative, especially now."

"Oh, Mr. President, you shouldn't worry about that." Hojo grinned.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: **Hello everyone! Thank you all for the follows and favorites! This is my first time posting any of my writing online, so your comments (and even just visits!) on chapter one mean a whole lot to me. (;w;) Hope you enjoy the newest installment!

Chapter Two

A short double beep sounded from Sephiroth's PHS. He placed his pen on the weapons order he had been about to sign to grab the device from his pack. Checking his messages revealed a short email from President Shin-Ra.

_'There has been a change regarding your upcoming mission. You will now be travelling to Nibelheim alone.'_

Sephiroth's eyes narrowed at the message. Zack had clearly spoken to Shin-Ra about his concerns. Hadn't the younger man mentioned that he hadn't wanted either of them to go? He shook his head. Zack must have been about as successful with the President as he had been in Sephiroth's office earlier. He sighed quietly and replaced the PHS. The mission to Nibelheim didn't appear difficult; he shouldn't have much trouble on his own. Still, he mused, it had been several weeks since he had seen Zack. As he resumed work on making the orders up-to-date, he recalled his encounter with Zack in Junon. He had sounded bitter to Sephiroth then. Angry.

Betrayed.

Sephiroth frowned slightly, continuing to read the paperwork before him. Of course Zack had been angry. Sephiroth had practically been actively avoiding him in the Data Room. And, he realized disdainfully, Zack knew that the mission to go after Angeal had initially been his own. Sephiroth's eyelids lowered as he scanned the pages on his desk. He'd left that mission for Zack to deal with. Made the boy deal with _his_ supposed best friends instead. Made him go after Angeal.

_Of course he would feel betrayed._

The question of why Zack had come to him today still tugged on his mind. The younger First had been different today. There was a distinct lack of that usual smug confidence that Sephiroth had grown accustomed to. He was skittish and scatter-brained. Granted, Zack could be scatter-brained on his best days, but this behavior was different somehow. Sephiroth was reminded somewhat of the new cadets upon first meeting them. They had similar behavior. The stuttering, the avoidance of eye contact…

The fear.

That was the difference. Sephiroth held his pen absently in mid-air as he came to the realization. Zack was afraid of him. Why in the world would Zack be afraid of him? He hadn't been before. In fact, Sephiroth keenly remembered being impressed by the fact that Zack had never shown any fear of him at all, even when they had first met. He couldn't remember anything he might have done to cause such a reaction. He had barely spoken to Zack since Junon. Sephiroth rubbed his temples in frustration. Something was obviously wrong. He would have to speak to Zack about it later. He glanced at his schedule on his desktop and sullenly corrected himself. There wasn't really any time where he could pull Zack aside to discuss the matter. He would just have to speak to Zack after Nibelheim.

Sephiroth returned his gaze to the paperwork he had been reading, only to realize he had no idea what it actually said.

* * *

As Sephiroth was working away, Zack made himself comfortable on floor 49, waiting for news. He knew someone was likely to come by and yell at him for sticking his dirty boots on the nice shiny coffee table, but he couldn't be bothered to care at the moment. He slumped on the couches on the SOLDIER floor, legs stretched out lazily. There wasn't much to do at the moment aside from wait for Shin-Ra's verdict. He groaned, partly from boredom, partly frustration. He stared up at the ceiling in thought. He knew exactly what time period he was in, but things kept catching him off guard. He had almost sent an email to Lazard for an update on the mission status. Lazard was gone already. He'd forgotten again. There was a lot he had forgotten, he realized. His focus on Cloud's activities in the Lifestream had jumbled up his own past. He smirked. This must have been what Cloud had felt like, his memories all scrambled from Jenova. Except this wasn't a case of alien cells screwing him up. This was just the fact that his natural memory had about as many holes as Vincent Valentine's cloak.

He uncrossed his arms and put his hands behind his head. Something he could do had just cropped up. Remembering where he was in his own timeline. Zack shut his eyes, working his way from Angeal's death up until now. Angeal was gone, killed by Zack in Modeoheim (that thought still stung). Genesis had escaped and broken Hollander out of prison. He met Sephiroth in Junon during that escape. Zack crossed his legs on the table, a few more flakes of dirt falling onto the polished top. Sephiroth had said Genesis copies had been spotted running around then. Said Zack had failed his mission. It would go on his permanent record. They'd meet again. Sephiroth gave him leave to come back to see Aerith.

Zack smiled at that thought.

He remembered talking to Sephiroth after finding out about the mission to Nibelheim. That the man had admitted something. Something that had made the outcome of this mission very important.

"_Depending on what happens, I may abandon Shin-Ra."_

Zack's eyes snapped opened. "_Shit!_" his sudden exclamation startled one of the young Thirds walking past. He sat up straight, running his hands through his hair in exasperation. How could he have forgotten Sephiroth had planned to leave the company regardless? 'Depending on what happens,' he had said. Seeing his 'mother' would probably be plenty to convince him to leave. "Man," Zack groaned. "That's just what I need." His PHS beeped suddenly. Putting his angsting on hold, Zack checked the device.

'_New mission assignment – report to the briefing room. _

_Tseng'_

Zack stared at it, disbelieving. It was official. He had a new mission. Zack checked himself before he got too excited. This didn't mean Sephiroth wouldn't be going to Nibelheim. He had to think rationally. But he would have been told if Shin-Ra was separating them. Wouldn't he?

Zack swung himself off the couch and headed to the briefing room. He was cautiously optimistic. He knew his arguments had been…less than stellar, but there was still a chance he might've done it. There was a little voice in his head that spoke of otherwise, though. A tiny little voice that sounded eerily like the crazy Sephiroth. For a brief second he could almost see the man, sitting regally in the nothingness of the Lifestream.

_Now Zack,_ he sneered. _Nothing is ever that easy._

Zack shook his head defiantly. The image held strong.

_I can stop you! Stop Jenova!_ Zack yelled at him. _I can save everyone!_

Sephiroth chuckled, shoulders shaking, silver hair falling into his face. Then he laughed. Held himself as if the shaking of his laughter could cause him to fall apart.

_You?_ He laughed harder. _A traitor like you could never stop me. You're weak. You're a failure. You're not a hero like Cloud, you're—_

"Zack?"

Tseng's voice snapped Zack out of his thoughts. He found himself standing just outside the briefing room, in the area where the SOLDIERs picked up items and extra uniforms before a mission. He slowly unclenched his fists, his fingers stiff from the pressure they had been under.

Zack took a shaky breath, forcing a small smile onto his lips. "Hi, Tseng. Sorry about that."

"Lost in thought?" the Turk inquired. At Zack's nod, Tseng gestured to the room behind him. "Come in. I'll tell you about your new mission."

Zack joined Tseng in the room, finding a chair at the long table. His legs were shaking. He didn't trust them to hold him up right now. Tseng picked a binder off the table and opened it. He glanced at Zack. The First's eyes were slightly glazed. Lost in thought again. Tseng quickly snapped the folder shut again, startling Zack into attention.

"You may want to listen," Tseng stated blandly. Zack stared up into the dark brown eyes, looking for the barest hint of irritation. Or emotion at all.

Nothing.

"Sorry." Zack apologized again instinctively. "So, uh, new mission? Where am I going?"

Tseng reopened the binder, turning his gaze to the papers inside. "Fort Condor. The Materia Research team calculated that a rare piece of materia is forming within the reactor there. However, the current residents of the fort are refusing to allow Shin-Ra troops near it. They fear for the safety of a large condor nest on top of the reactor."

The situation sounded familiar to Zack, but he couldn't place it. "What are my orders?"

"You are to negotiate with the residents. Shin-Ra owns the fort. You are to inform the residents that a further lack of cooperation will be met with the force of SOLDIER." Tseng looked up from the binder. "If possible, you should try to remove the condors as well."

Zack frowned. This wasn't negotiating. This was a threat. Get out or get killed. He had to wonder why he'd been picked for this mission. Lazard would have known that Zack was one of the more sympathetic operatives. He couldn't bring himself to bully people into obeying him. _The SOLDIER program is more screwed up than I thought._

"You are also required to have an infantryman accompany you," Tseng continued. "You may choose someone or one will be assigned."

Zack perked up at the new information. "I can choose?"

"Yes." At Zack's confused stare, the Turk clarified. "Although there is a shortage of SOLDIERs and Turks, there is usually a surplus of infantrymen. As such, Shin-Ra has been attempting to restructure the cadet program. It is recommended that you choose a cadet that is likely to continue into SOLDIER."

"Why would Shin-Ra worry so much about which infantrymen went on SOLDIER missions?" Zack asked. He instantly thought of Cloud. He was still a cadet at this point. Just a kid.

Tseng slowly crossed his arms. Zack had the sudden feeling he had annoyed the man, making him feel the need to repeat himself. "With the shortage of operatives, Shin-Ra believes it is wiser for cadets to obtain more field experience outside Midgar than their security force counterparts. He believes they will be more likely to succeed on the SOLDIER entrance exams if they do." Tseng smiled ever so slightly. Zack had regained some of his cheer, and it was showing. The spark of excitement was back in his eyes. "I take it you have someone in mind?"

"Yes!" Zack chirped, smile back on his face. "A cadet aiming to be in SOLDIER. We're good friends."

"Would that be Strife?" Tseng asked, amused. "The one who accompanied us to Modeoheim?" Zack nodded. "He's a good choice. Just be aware that this is a serious mission, even if your friend comes along."

"Right." Zack started to get up from his chair. He'd regained his strength with the thought that he could go track down Cloud. Better yet, they could go on a mission together again. One that wouldn't end as badly as Nibelheim.

Zack froze, half standing half still in the chair. Nibelheim. The question of whether or not anyone was going was still lingering. He straightened and watched Tseng with wary eyes.

"…What about Sephiroth?"

"What about him?" Tseng asked, tucking the binder under his arm.

"Where is he going? On his next mission?" Zack pressed. His excitement was starting to melt back into dread. Tseng shaking his head didn't make him feel better.

"I don't know," he admitted. "They only assigned me to your briefing."

"You don't know or you won't tell me?" Zack demanded, an angry edge creeping into his voice.

"I'm sorry, Zack." Tseng avoided answering entirely. "Now that I've finished your briefing I have to attend to my other duties." He made to leave. Zack called after him.

"What's going _on_, Tseng?" He stood there, watching. He saw Tseng contemplate something for a moment, only to sigh and resume his emotionless mask.

"Good question." He left the room.

Zack stood there, aghast. Then angry. He stormed out of the briefing room, intent on relocating to the training area to slice the hell out of whatever powerful holographic monster he could fight. As he stomped his way toward it, he spotted Kunsel sitting on the couch he had been on previously. The Second waved, but upon seeing Zack's glaring face his arm stopped mid-motion. He quickly got up and followed Zack as he trudged toward the training room.

"Hey, Zack."

"_What_," he nearly growled.

"What's eating you?" Kunsel asked, genuine concern coming through loud and clear in spite of the helmet covering half his face.

Zack stopped, gesturing at the briefing room angrily. "Oh, nothing, just Turks being secretive _jerks_ and not answering questions for me!"

Kunsel was quiet a moment before asking gently, "What kind of questions?"

"I just…Argh!" Zack pulled at his hair in frustration. "I need to know where Sephiroth's going on his next mission and Tseng wouldn't tell me, but I think he knows and just _refuses to_ and Shin-Ra's screwing everything up and SOLDIER is a mess and I don't know what's going on anymore and I—!"

"Woah, woah, woah!" Kunsel grabbed Zack by the shoulders, stilling him. He looked up into the First's face, speaking low. "It's alright, Zack. Calm down. One thing at a time." When Zack managed to take a decently deep breath without exploding like a Grenade monster, Kunsel relaxed his grip. He led him back to the couch area to try to get him to sit. "So that first problem was where Sephiroth's going, right?" Zack grimaced, but nodded. "That's easy. He's going to Nibelheim."

Zack stared blankly at Kunsel. "Please tell me that's a joke."

"Why would I be joking?"

"Sephiroth. Is going. Alone," Zack repeated, the words not quite real to him.

"Yeah. Apparently Shin-Ra thinks he'll be alright on his own," Kunsel explained, a frown of concern on his lips. "Are you okay, Zack?"

The First didn't answer. He merely flopped onto the couch in overwhelming despair. His expression vacant, he stared blindly at the clear coffee table, idly noting the errant print of his heel. He couldn't believe how stupid he was. He had just managed to royally screw up his mission within the first twenty-four hours. Within the first _twelve_, even. As Kunsel waved a hand in front of his eyes, Zack though bitterly about what the gang in his original timeline was doing now. He could almost see Cloud, his face buried in his hands in frustration. Tifa would be standing next to him, shaking her head with that disappointed mom look. The others were all probably laughing or cursing at Zack's stupidity. Cid, probably both.

_Maybe Vincent's being sympathetic. He's a royal screw up, too._

"Hey Zack, look, isn't that your girlfriend?" Kunsel's voice called Zack out of his moping to look up.

"Huh?" He turned and looked around. Aerith was nowhere to be seen. He turned back to Kunsel in question before he remembered Aerith was in the slums.

"_Finally_ something got your attention," Kunsel sighed. "Good grief, Zack, what's eating you? I haven't seen you this zoned-out since…well…" His voice softened. "Since Angeal."

Zack groaned and buried his own face in his hands. "It's just…This wasn't supposed to happen!" _Now what am I gonna do?_

"Zack. It's not the end of the world." He gave the First's back a gentle pat. "It's not like you can do anything about it, save for blowing up all of the transport helicopters." At Zack's hopeful look he grimaced. "_No,_ you cannot blow up the transport helicopters. Just…Just chill. And get ready for your own mission."

Zack retained the kicked puppy look. Kunsel smiled reassuringly at him, though for once he was clueless as to what was really going on. Zack sighed. He knew Kunsel was right. There really wasn't anything he could do to prevent the mission now. Well, he _could_ try to kill Sephiroth before the man left, but that wasn't likely to end in his favor. He wasn't subtle enough to sneak up on the guy. Wasn't subtle enough for any of this.

_Maybe Cloud should have been the one to come back after all…_

"You gonna be okay?" Kunsel asked.

Zack stayed quiet for a moment. No, he was not okay. But Minerva had asked for him. _Him._ Not Cloud. Even with all the other people in the Lifestream, she had picked Zack. He had to believe she had done so for a reason. After all, he wouldn't be here if Minerva didn't think he was capable.

He finally nodded to Kunsel. "…Sure. Or I will be. Eventually."

"Good." Kunsel grinned at him. He smacked the back of Zack's head. "Now stop being weird and let's go get some dinner!" Zack chuckled and followed him to the elevator. With all that fretting he hadn't noticed how hungry he had gotten. He'd screwed up his initial plan, certainly, but that just meant he needed a new one. Kunsel began to regale him with his own adventures of the day, most notably how he single-handedly duped the security division by hacking the lobby PA system. He had it playing Fiddle de Chocobo all morning while the infantrymen ran around desperately for the IT team. Zack chuckled and allowed himself to relax. He'd figure something else out, and he did have one idea of where to start.

It was time to pay cadet Strife a visit.

* * *

The cacophony of voices filled the air of the lounge as the infantrymen filed in from their afternoon training. Zack reclined nonchalantly on one of the many couches, searching over the crowd for his young friend. As they walked down the hall, he noticed most of them had kept their helmets on. He pouted. So much for being able to pick the kid out of the crowd. The last of the stragglers jogged inside, panting heavily from the last dash to the door. One of them stumbled slightly, steadying himself on a trash can. The boy hunched over, completely out of breath. Zack watched curiously as some of the boy's betters grouped around him. The kid stood up and removed his helmet when the others began to talk. Zack perked up as a familiar head of blonde spikes popped up like ruffled chocobo feathers. Hopping up from his seat, he meandered over to the group of cadets. As he approached he heard snippets of comments from the other infantrymen.

"A chocobo-headed squirt like you isn't gonna make it—"

"_Cloud!_" Zack flung his arm around the small cadet's shoulders, interrupting with a grin plastered on his face. "How are ya? Actually this is perfect timing, I have to talk to you." Zack suppressed a laugh as he saw Cloud blush, suddenly becoming a blonde tomato. Even the kid's ears were red.

"Z-Zack?!" he spluttered. "You- what…Wait," he blinked a few times in confusion. "You need to talk to _me?_"

Zack's grin widened. The other infantrymen were all standing around, aghast. Zack turned casually to the man who had addressed Cloud before. "I have to borrow him for a sec, d'ya mind? Classified SOLDIER business."

The infantryman suddenly remembered his position and saluted hastily. "Sir! Of course, sir!"

"Thanks!" Zack steered Cloud away from the crowd, arm still around his shoulders. When they were far enough away from potential eavesdroppers (but close enough that Zack could chuckle at the jealous faces), Zack detached himself from him. Cloud, still a bit flustered, immediately set to work straightening up his uniform. He fluffed his pale green scarf back up to the bottom of his chin, as protocol dictated. That finished, he stared up at Zack, fidgeting. Zack smiled. He'd missed how adorably awkward Cloud had been as a cadet.

"So," Cloud started, looking nervously at the other infantrymen who were leering at the pair. He turned back to Zack. "Is there something I can help you with, Zack?"

"Indeed there is, Spikey!" Zack pat him on the head, enjoying the surprised yelp he earned in response. "I'm going on a mission next week and I need an infantryman to come with. I just figured I'd ask you." He suddenly shrugged, feigning disinterest. "But, of course, if you're too busy I understand…" He glanced at Cloud's face and had to stop himself from bursting out laughing. The kid's eyes were so wide from shock that Zack had to wonder if they weren't going to pop out of his head.

"I…You want…" Cloud struggled to find his words. "You want me to come with you? But…" Again he glanced at the other cadets. His shoulders drooped slightly. "Why?"

Zack crossed his arms. That was one thing that had never seem to completely go away – Cloud's total lack of self-esteem. Zack made a mental note to try and boost Cloud's morale more often. And another to start writing these mental notes down somewhere.

"Cloud, you're the best infantryman I know."

The cadet's eyes returned to the size of dinner plates. "You can't be serious! I'm one of the worst in my class!"

"Really?" Zack brought his hand to his mouth, holding his jaw. He began to stroke his imaginary beard in contemplation. He was sure Cloud would realize these concerns didn't matter to him, but the cadet still looked incredibly nervous. Zack shook his head and decided to just drop the act. "You were a real asset when we were in Modeoheim. I don't think I could've caught up to Hollander without you." Zack grabbed Cloud's shoulder and shook him lightly. "Listen, buddy, you don't have to come with me if you don't think you're up to it. _But,_ I want you to know that they told me I could pick whoever I wanted, and I think you'd be the best guy for the job. I could really use your help." He released his grip on Cloud and turned to leave. "Just think about it, okay?"

"O-Okay," Cloud nodded. He looked gratefully at Zack. "I will."

"Great," Zack smiled again. "Just shoot me a text when you've decided. I'll see ya later, Spike!" He gave the boy a lazy salute and started walking down the hall. Already he could hear the others swarming around Cloud, demanding to know _'_was that _Zack Fair?_' and 'how did _you_ impress a First?!' Zack snickered to himself. Not only had Cloud 'impressed' him, they were on a first-name basis. That was sure to cause a stir.

Zack put his hands in his pockets as he strolled back to his apartment. There was an upside to not going to Nibelheim. Cloud, with enough experience, had been able to kill Sephiroth over and over again without fail in his original timeline. The guy had been the Planet's best weapon against Jenova. Zack may not be able to beat Sephiroth once he got to his 'mother,' but at least he could try to give Cloud a head start. Zack began to stride down the hallway with purpose, his determination regained. He'd train Cloud early. Get him prepared to help destroy Sephiroth and Jenova once and for all.

He'd get Cloud into SOLDIER.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Sephiroth arrived in Nibelheim in the early afternoon. He clambered out of the back of the transport truck, disgruntled. They had been delayed by a full grown dragon attacking the truck. While it hadn't been much of a challenge, it did concern him. If the dragon was any example, the monsters around the town had no problems approaching civilization. Sephiroth waited for the driver to hop out of his seat. He looked at the entrance to the tiny town and spotted a girl watching him. She looked young, with long brown hair spilling about her shoulders from beneath a large Stetson. His attention startled her. She immediately got to her feet and darted into town. Sephiroth ignored her odd behavior for the moment and turned to the driver, asking about his orders regarding transportation.

"I have to go toward Cosmo Canyon to pick up some other operatives, sir. You'll have to contact me when you've finished your mission." The infantryman visibly shrunk under Sephiroth's annoyed glare. "Th-Those are my orders!" he stammered. "Since Shin-Ra's revamping the cadet system we don't have enough people to be at every SOLDIER's beck and call…" Sephiroth's eyes narrowed further and the man added, "Sir!"

_The restructuring is taking effect sooner than I would have expected,_ Sephiroth mused. He dismissed the driver after registering the man's PHS number in his own device. The driver started the truck back up, leaving behind a cloud of dust as he drove away. Sephiroth turned back toward the town. Despite the evening not having a chance to settle in yet, the sun offered little warmth. The cool, dry air flitted across Sephiroth's bare chest. Had it been just a little closer to winter he might have considered a shirt for once.

Sephiroth made his way to the large building to his left. The sign posted outside was decorated with intricately carved sprigs of mistletoe, twisting around the stylized words 'Baldr's Inn.' Sephiroth eyed it curiously for a moment, but then entered the inn without giving it further consideration. The innkeeper, a plump middle-aged woman, looked up brightly at the ring of the door chime.

"Welcome to – Oh!" she gasped at the sight of him, taking in the sleek black uniform and the bright silver of his hair. Sephiroth waited patiently for her to get over the shock of his appearance. While the reaction was expected by now, it didn't make it any less irritating. Not for the first time he thought bitterly about dyeing his hair to a more natural color. Although with all the other odd things about him, hair dye might not make much of a difference. As the woman made no sign of getting over his looks, he approached the desk.

"How much for the night?" he asked, his words clipped. He began opening his wallet.

The woman snapped out her surprise at the sight of money. "Oh, it's 100 gil for a room." She continued to look him over as he pulled out the appropriate amount, blatantly staring at the large belt across his stomach. She looked into his eyes then. He was certain the eerie mako glow tipped her off as to his identity. "I take it you're a SOLDIER?" she asked.

"Yes." He placed the money on the counter.

"About time!" she chuckled. She dug around for the room key. "The mayor's been complaining about the reactor for months. Can't believe they _just_ sent you out here – Your other people never came back to tell us what was going wrong…Ah, here we go." She handed the located key to Sephiroth and pulled out a ledger. "So just for the night, mister…?"

"Sephiroth. I'll know if I have to stay longer after I've inspected the reactor." He moved to head up the staircase to the second floor.

"Wait," the innkeeper called. "How do you—"

Sephiroth stopped in his tracks, giving her a pointed look. "S-e-p-h-i-r-o-t-h." He nodded at her sheepish thank you and took the stairs two at a time.

Spotting only one door, he found his room with ease. The room was well furnished, and clearly meant for multiple people. There were three beds with a small table between each of them. A vase and small ornament decorated the solitary dresser, and the desk looked as though someone had been sitting there working recently. The room looked more likely to be a part of someone's house rather than a traveler's inn, with cheery plants and a painting of a young girl on a stool as decorations. As Sephiroth walked over to the closest bed, he spotted another painting hanging above a short bookcase. A photo of what was surely the innkeeper's family rested on top of the books. Sephiroth suddenly felt like an intruder, as if he had barged his way into a person's home to take the bedroom for himself. It certainly didn't look as if they had been expecting visitors.

Zack's comment that the town was in the middle of nowhere sprung to mind. Sephiroth smirked slightly as he unloaded some of his things on the small bed. He had certainly been right about that.

* * *

"Where is the mayor's house?"

"Oh, it's just two doors down that way." The innkeeper leaned over her desk to gesture in the appropriate direction. She looked up at Sephiroth awkwardly from her position, and then retreated to her chair. Sephiroth exited without another word.

Upon arriving at his destination, Sephiroth rapped on the door. He heard the distant sound of a chair scraping along the floor and heavy footsteps. The door clicked open, revealing a muscular, grizzly-looking man. His mouth was entirely covered in a bushy mustache until it opened in greeting.

"You must be Sephiroth." The mayor held out his hand for a handshake. Sephiroth ignored it, simply nodding his affirmation. They held each other's gaze for a moment before the man withdrew his hand, running it through his short messy hair.

"You are the mayor of this town, correct?" Sephiroth asked.

"Yeah, that'd be me. Gilder Lockhart. Most just call me 'mayor' around these parts." He stepped to the side, holding the front door open. "Why don't you come in?" Sephiroth followed him inside through the front hallway and into the kitchen. Lockhart waved to the small table and Sephiroth pulled up a chair. Lockhart sat opposite of him, leaning on the table curiously. He reached for a half-filled mug of coffee and nursed it as he spoke.

"So," the mayor started, "How much do you know about the situation here?"

"I've been informed that the reactor seems to be malfunctioning, and as a result a portion of the wildlife has mutated into monsters."

"Yeah, but it isn't just the wildlife," Lockhart sighed.

"What do you mean?"

"Some of the regular monsters have gotten stronger too." He raised an eyebrow at Sephiroth, eyeing the soldier with suspicion. "What's your plan?"

Sephiroth frowned at the staring. "I had hoped to explore the town this afternoon to gather information on what's been happening. What can you tell me about the monsters?"

"Not much," Lockhart admitted, scratching his collarbone absent-mindedly, his wrinkled plaid shirt becoming even more wrinkled as a result of the motion. "They look a bit strange, but mostly they're all just stronger."

"They 'look strange?' How so?" Sephiroth asked. The mission briefing had been painfully lacking in information. The information it did have was largely speculation and rumors. Sephiroth pressed the mayor, hoping to get something concrete to work with.

"Well, ah…I dunno. I can't really explain it."

The mayor was proving to be about as helpful as the briefing, much to Sephiroth's chagrin. He narrowed his eyes at the man. "Try."

Lockhart's brows furrowed as he concentrated. "Well, they're sort of…uh…" He pointed at the joints along his arm as an example. "They look like they're breaking to pieces. I haven't seen many of them, to be honest – too much work keeping the townsfolk from spooking at them. Even had to arrange a curfew for the kids." He crossed his arms over his chest, looking Sephiroth over with a critical eye. "I figure once you fix the reactor things should die down. When are you gonna do that, anyway?"

"Tomorrow morning. I will make my way to the reactor and determine what has been causing the mutations." Lockhart nodded along to every word, his fingers covering his chin in contemplation. Sephiroth continued, "If possible, I will fix it myself. If not, I will call in specialists." Lockhart offered him no suggestions or extra information once he had finished. He stared intently at Sephiroth, making no indication of approval. Sephiroth felt himself tense under the other man's gaze. Lockhart was thinking over his words, of course, but he was also clearly scrutinizing him. Sizing him up.

"I guess you might be better off than the other guys they sent," Lockhart finally admitted.

That grabbed Sephiroth's interest. "What can you tell me about our other operatives?"

"Eh? Didn't they report back to Shin-Ra when the left?" Lockhart crossed his arms seeming genuinely confused.

"They never returned. We assumed they perished."

Lockhart paled. The hand that had been bringing his coffee to his mouth stopped in midair.

"Do you recall what happened before they disappeared?" Sephiroth asked.

"I, uh," Lockhart scratched the back of his head, suddenly nervous. "I had no idea they…wow…uh. They were checking the reactor and the outskirts of town for some guy. Lizard was it?"

"Lazard."

"Oh. Yeah, Lazard. That sounds right." The mayor leaned forward on the table again, stroking his mustache. "Nobody in town had seen him so those other soldiers were going to check around the reactor area." He sighed. "Next thing we know, the guys don't come back and the reactor's still bugging."

_So no knowledge as to what transpired._ Sephiroth resisted the urge to rub his temples. A headache had been slowly building, and this mayor's lack of information only seemed to exacerbate it. The sound of the door opening distracted both men. A girl's voice floated in from the front hall.

"Papa, Mrs. Strife was saying only one person from Shin-Ra came and he's—oh."

Sephiroth's eyes darted to the newcomer and recognized her as the girl he had startled upon arriving. She stood partially inside the kitchen, but hung back, resting one hand on the doorframe beside her. The deep red eyes locked onto Sephiroth, though they held more curiosity than fear.

"Tifa." Lockhart stood from his chair. "Come on in, we're just talking."

Tifa stepped into the kitchen, walking cautiously to the edge of the table where her father was standing. She smiled faintly at Sephiroth. "Hello." Her eyes flicked over his hair and armor. "Are you Sephiroth?"

"Yes." Sephiroth noticed the girl's eyes light up. He inwardly groaned, hoping she wasn't some far-flung member of the Silver Elite.

"You're the one Cloud was always talking about!" Sephiroth raised an eyebrow in questioning, but Lockhart quickly interrupted his daughter.

"Tifa here will lead you to the reactor tomorrow." He frowned at Sephiroth. Or tightened his lips. Sephiroth couldn't be sure with that bush of a mustache in the way. It was some form of displeasure. "She knows the paths up the mountain best."

Sephiroth nodded and stood from his chair. "If that's all you wished to discussed, then I'm going to investigate the town."

"Were you going to check out the Shin-Ra mansion?" Tifa asked.

Sephiroth mulled over the question. There hadn't been any information about such a thing in the briefing. "…I was not aware Shin-Ra owned a mansion in Nibelheim."

"It's got nothing to do with the monster problems," Lockhart grumbled.

"Papa, you've never even been inside it! You keep saying you're too busy with town affairs to see what's in there!" Tifa chided, placing her hands on her hips irritably.

"Someone else probably did it already a long time ago, Tifa, it's been over twenty-five years…" The mayor sighed at her antics.

"No one's been in there since the scientists left, you told me so!" Tifa countered. That statement caught Sephiroth's attention. As far as he knew, the Science Department had no business in a town like this.

_Hojo would like it here, _he mused. _He'd have no interference._ He glanced between Tifa and Lockhart. As the mayor argued about the mansion's lack of relevance, Tifa huffed at him with all the frustration of teenage defiance. Immature, certainly, but she seemed more likely to be of help than her father had been so far. She appeared to have a better memory, at least.

"Tifa." Sephiroth's address shut both of them up instantly. Tifa turned to him in askance while her father glared. "Do you know anything specific about the mutations I've been hearing about?"

"Tifa doesn't go past the town borders without permission. She wouldn't have seen the monsters," Lockhart scoffed. From his position, Sephiroth saw Tifa roll her eyes.

"I see. Then if it isn't too much trouble, would you lead me to the mansion?" Before Lockhart could protest, he quickly added, "I'll decide for myself whether or not it has any relevance."

Lockhart mumbled what sounded like curses under his breath. He gave Tifa a look. Sephiroth figured they'd argue some more later, but it didn't concern him. Lockhart cleared his throat and then tapped his fingers on the kitchen table. "Shin-Ra did send word that you'd have authority here," he said, trying very hard to keep the anger out of his voice. "So I suppose we'll have to help out however we can."

"Thank you," Sephiroth nodded, smirking softly as the mayor stood up. Tifa smiled and walked out of the kitchen.

"Follow me!"

Sephiroth took a step to the door and Lockhart grabbed him by the arm. An icy glare removed the offending hand, but Lockhart kept eye contact. "I'm keeping my eye on you, Mr. SOLDIER." Sephiroth sniffed scornfully at the statement and walked outside. Tifa smiled brightly and led the way, heading down the road.

As she led, Sephiroth studied the sleepy town. Aside from the homes and a large well in the center, he couldn't see much in the way of civilization. He frowned. Such a quiet place would be perfect for one of Hojo's experiments.

"So, those monsters…" Tifa said, derailing Sephiroth's train of thought.

"I take it you have been out of town and seen them, then," Sephiroth commented.

"Well, yes, but," Tifa hunched her shoulders, looking guilty. "Just…Don't tell Papa, please? He'd get mad and start lecturing me." At Sephiroth's nod, she stood straight again. "The monsters…They've been looking weird lately. They're stronger. More daring too – some of the dragons have even come down the mountains and into the valley."

Sephiroth recalled his own fight with the dragon outside of town. It hadn't differed much in appearance from its species, though. "In what way do they look 'weird?' Is it the mutations?"

"Yeah, definitely mutations. It's like…" Tifa pursed her lips together in thought. "They're a lot stronger, but they look…They look like they're unhealthy."

"How so?"

"They look kind of like zombies, I guess?" Tifa twisted a lock of hair around her fingers. "Their skin is turning all red and gray. They look like they're decaying or rotting or something."

Sephiroth's jaw clenched. Red and gray. Breaking apart. The monsters weren't decaying, they were _degrading._ The Turk sightings had been accurate after all.

_Genesis copies._

"Have you ever seen that happen before?" Tifa questioned as they rounded a corner.

"Yes. I have an idea of what might be causing it." _And it's certainly not the reactor._

"Can you fix it?"

Sephiroth was quiet a moment, thinking over his options. Fixing the mutated monsters was a complete impossibility. He'd have to dispose of them. In the meantime, he had to be on the lookout for Lazard and Genesis while keeping their involvement under wraps. It wouldn't do Shin-Ra much good to let it be known that they were fighting their own comrades.

_Former comrades_, Sephiroth reminded himself.

At length, he answered the girl's curious stare. "I can't fix what has been done already. I'll check the reactor as planned. Afterward I'll eliminate what mutations I can find." He didn't mention he'd be hunting a crazed ex-SOLDIER First. Genesis hadn't seemed to involve Nibelheim in his plans just yet. No sense worrying the populace even more.

Tifa stopped walking and stood the balls of her feet. "There it is," she pointed to a large iron gate built into an elaborate stone fence. Behind it Sephiroth could see the mansion. Pale grey stone fashioned into an elegant home for the visiting Shin-Ra employees. Its grandeur spoke of money the town clearly did not have. Sephiroth focused on the front gate, searching for a lock he was sure he'd have to break to get onto the property. He frowned as Tifa pushed open the gate without any effort. The girl turned back and waited for him.

"Something wrong?" she asked, tilting her head.

"Does this gate have no lock?" He couldn't imagine a Shin-Ra-owned building not having even the most basic security.  
"Oh, well…" Tifa looked around the area of the fence. "I guess it rusted off or something. The wind's been blowing the gate open and shut for a while now."

Sephiroth examined the gate a bit more closely. It seemed like there was only general wear and tear on the iron. Rust from the elements, for the most part. He searched the area with his eyes, not finding any remnants of the lock that he would have expected to be there.

"Sephiroth? Everything alright?"

Sephiroth turned his gaze back to Tifa. "Fine." He walked past her and toward the mansion. If the scientists had left any of their research inside then it might explain why they chose to set up in Nibelheim, and possibly why they felt there was no need to keep the residents out.

Sephiroth pulled the large door open and stepped into the dusty foyer. Looking around, he took in the sophisticated layout and the impressive chandelier with some confusion. Scientists would have had no use for such grandeur. More likely that Shin-Ra had built it previously and the scientists appropriated it for their own use. The doors on the first level were all closed, and Tifa had already wandered over to the first door on the left. She tugged on the knob curiously, but the door didn't budge.

"This one's locked," she observed.

"I can see that."

Tifa put her hands on her hips, irritated. She turned away as if to check the next door, but instead threw her leg up in a swift back kick. The door cracked and swung open wildly, causing Sephiroth to flinch when it collided with the wall inside. Tifa walked into the room with a prideful strut. The soldier massaged his temples a moment before following.

The room only had a few desks, all shoved to the opposite side of the room. In the corner by the window, Tifa was holding two yellowed pieces of paper. At Sephiroth's approached she held them up for him to see.

"Look, I found them on that table." She handed the papers, letters, to Sephiroth, who opened them without hesitation. The letters were written in a barely intelligible scrawl that Sephiroth recognized at once with disdain. It read:

'_I must get rid of all those that stand in the way of my research. Even that one from the Turks. I scientifically altered him, and put him in the basement. If you want to find him, then search the area. But… this is merely a game I thought of. It is not necessary for you to participate if you don't want to.'_

Sephiroth could practically hear Hojo's maniacal cackle after the last sentence.

"Is it bad?" Tifa asked gently.

Sephiroth looked at her in question.

"You look angry," she clarified.

He quickly steeled his expression into a mask again, caught off-guard by his momentary slip. "I'm fine." He placed the letter on the table and moved onto the next one, which contained a set of instructions to find the code for a safe. Sephiroth attempted to recall if there were any missing Turk reports from over twenty years ago, but he had little knowledge of Turk affairs. Even when he was placed on missions with them they managed to keep a large amount of information to themselves.

"Wait, this guy did _what?_" Tifa's voice snapped Sephiroth back to attention. She was holding the first letter, reading it with horror written clearly on her face.

_When did she…?_ Sephiroth took the letter out of her hands and folded it, opting to stick it in his coat until he had some privacy. "That's Shin-Ra business. None of your concern."

"None of my _concern?_" Tifa repeated, an edge to her voice. "That guy 'scientifically altered' another guy and _locked him in the basement!_ In _my_ hometown!" She stomped her foot on the ground angrily. "You can't tell me that's not my concern!"

Sephiroth sighed. His headache was only going to get worse at this rate. "You said no one had been here for over two decades, correct?"

"Well," Tifa crossed her arms. "…Yeah."

"Then the man is most likely dead."

Tifa's eyes widened considerably. Right when Sephiroth thought he had convinced her to drop the topic and get out of his way, or at the very least be _quiet_, she pointed straight at him, anger restored. "Then he deserves a proper burial! At _least!_" She gestured to him in exasperation. "Besides, you wanted to investigate the manor, right? Isn't this worth investigating?"

Sephiroth dropped his eyes to the second letter. Four numbers to a safe presumably in the mansion. It didn't seem like a difficult task, and it might shed light on what Hojo had been doing in Nibelheim in the first place. It didn't seem to have much to do with the mission at hand, but…

He looked back to Tifa. She stood defiantly, challenging him to disagree with her reasoning. He relented. Searching for the Turk's remains couldn't hurt.

"Fine. I'll look."

Tifa brightened instantly. "You mean _we'll_ look. I wanna help."

Sephiroth mouth twitched back into a frown, but he acquiesced. The girl was about as stubborn as he was. He would just have to make sure she didn't stumble upon any questionable documents that could potentially endanger Shin-Ra's authority.

Again.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: **So I'm finally getting into the organization I wanted for this fic, starting with this chapter - from here on out each chapter will (hopefully) go in the pattern of Zack-Seph-Zack-Seph...until they eventually meet again. For those of you hoping to see Seph find Vincent, you'll have to wait a bit more! ;)

I have two separate protagonists now. (._.) Anyway, thank you so much for your reviews, and belated hello to my newest followers! :D Hope you enjoy!

* * *

Chapter Four

A light breeze wafted through the grass, adding a chill to the already brisk day. Zack shifted his position on top of the old wooden fence, looking over the dancing green fields toward the ocean. Sephiroth was across that ocean, doing Gaia-knows-what. By his estimation, the other First wouldn't have even made it to Nibelheim yet, but knowing what would happen by the end of the week was keeping him on edge. Sephiroth was there, hurtling towards a future involving insanity and bloodshed, and Zack was here. On the other side of the Planet.

"Wark?"

Surrounded by chocobos.

Zack sighed as yet another one of the fluffy birds trotted up to him, warbling softly. On its back was Cloud, his blond spikes fluffed up just as much as his steed's feathers.

"Hey there, Chocobo-Whisperer." he called to the cadet.

Cloud steadied his ride and adjusted his hold on his helmet. "Chocobo-what? What are you talking abo—Oh." Blue eyes swept over the horde prancing around behind his SOLDIER accomplice. The large fence in front of the stables was teeming with fluffy yellow birds. "Um…I didn't think they'd all listen to me…"

Zack laughed. He'd charged Cloud with catching the chocobos as a joke, noting that the Company had asked they catch a few extra and Cloud should get in touch with his estranged avian family. He took the new Chocobo Lure materia back from Cloud, stowing it in his pack.

"Congrats, you've caught no less than sixteen yellow chocobos for the benefit of Shin-Ra Inc.," Zack smiled as the boy's eyes widened considerably. The soldier grabbed a set of reigns that had been tying his own ride to the fence. "You ready to go?" he asked the bird next to him. His new feathered friend had been attempting to preen his hair for the past hour. The chocobo let out a happy trill, clearly eager to get moving. He nodded to Cloud. "Let's get going, then."

"Y-Yeah…I mean, yes sir!" Cloud straightened immediately with a salute, his own bird crying out in surprise. It ruffled its feathers, momentarily covering Cloud entirely in yellow fluff.

"Hey, relax!" Zack hopped up onto his bird and pulled it to the side of his friend. He patted down some of the other chocobo's feathers and smiled at the flustered boy. "We're buddies. You can just call me Zack, y'know."

"Okay…" Cloud pulled his helmet back on with a little difficulty. Once it was set, he nodded to the First, a small smile on his lips. "Thanks, Zack."

"Y'all heading across the marshes, then?" Chocobo Bill, the owner of the ranch, called at the two. He trudged over from his house, one hand clasping a bad hip. "I'm gonna need the names of your birds before you go."

Cloud visibly brightened. "We get to name them?"

The man shrugged. "May as well, seein' as you're the first to ride them. I need their names for stabling. By the way," he looked the chocobos over as he pulled a notepad and a pen out of his pockets. "…Yep, as I thought. They're both girls. Pretty good birds from the looks of them."

Cloud patted the neck of his steed in thought. The bird slicked down its feathers with its beak and then proceeded to stand tall and proud. She regarded the cadet with a cool gaze, accepting his affection with a wary stare.

"Well?" Zack asked.

"I think I'll name her Lightning." Cloud gave her another pat. She chirped and held her head high.

"You realize I'm going to have to mock you both for having weather names," Zack grinned. Cloud pouted at him, the red on his cheeks hidden expertly by his helmet.

"Lightning, okay," Chocobo Bill jotted the name down in his notepad. He looked up at Zack, peering at him through his round glasses. "And yours?"

Zack scratched the back of his head. "I dunno…But," he grinned suddenly. "If we're going for a weather theme, how about something epic, like Stormageddon, _Destroyer of Worlds!_"

The ranch owner gave him a blank look. He scribbled in his notepad. "Fifi it is."

"What?!" Zack slumped over his steed's neck as Cloud tried to stifle his laughter. Fifi warbled happily and nuzzled the soldier's head.

* * *

The birds easily outpaced the infamous Midgar Zolom in their race across the swamp. Arriving on solid ground, the pair slowed their chocobos to a light trot, leaving the imposing silhouette of the snake behind. As they approached the entrance to the Mythril Mines, Cloud's gaze was drawn upward by the sight of a gargantuan tree.

"Wow…" the cadet breathed. Zack looked up, curious. The bark of the tree had been blasted off recently, most likely by a lightning strike if the ominous clouds above the mountains were any indication. The tree itself reached almost as high as the mountain tops, well over thirty feet.

"Pretty big tree," Zack commented.

"Yeah, I bet only a Zolom could get up that high." Cloud smiled softly at his commanding officer before nudging Lightning to keep moving forward. Zack attempted to laugh at the concept of a Zolom stretching to the touch the top of the tree, but his voice was suddenly hollow.

The image of blood-spattered mountains and a skewered snake momentarily flooded his vision.

Zack blinked numbly. This knowledge-of-the-future thing was going to be harder to stomach than he thought. He gave Stormagedd—_Fifi_ a light kick to get her to catch up to Cloud.

Within no time at all they reached the entrance to the Mines, and dismounted. Grabbing their gear off the backs of their chocobos, the boys instructed them to return to the ranch. Lightning dashed off, following Cloud's commands perfectly. Fifi elected to dawdle.

"Come on, girl!" Zack patted the chocobo's rump, trying to encourage her to get a move on. "Go on back!" Cloud chuckled as the bird ruffled her feathers and pawed at the ground with her talons, refusing to move. Zack ran a hand through his unruly spikes in impatience. "Geez. We can't bring a chocobo through the mines." He turned to Cloud, at a loss. "Could you give me a hand here, Spikey?"

Cloud chuckled again and approached Fifi, reaching out to pet her neck. "It's alright girl, we'll be okay now. You head on home." Fifi stared down at the cadet curiously with her large, teal eyes. She turned to Zack then, quirking her head to the side as she let out a questioning wark. Zack stared back at her. The bird tilted her head further to the side. Zack crossed his arms impatiently. Fifi continued to edge her head further over, as if turning upside-down would allow her to understand her rider's instructions. Zack failed to realize that he was tilting his head with her until Fifi's head was nearly at her shoulder, and he stumbled with a shout of surprise.

Fifi chirped. She returned her head to its upright position. Cloud tried desperately to stifle his laughter. He did not remotely succeed.

Zack stood straight and approached his bird. She was _his_ chocobo after all; she should be listening to him! Even Cloud, having recovered from his fit of giggles, seemed confused that his orders were ignored. The soldier reached up and pulled Fifi's head close to his own.

"Fifi," he said, voice flat.

"Waaaaark?"  
Zack grimaced at his chocobo. She was far too happy about their predicament. Not to mention hyperactive. Fifi made soft little peeping sounds as he stare her down, and he suddenly felt like he was on the opposite side of a familiar situation. Angeal used to stare him down in much the same way when _he_ misbehaved. He sighed. So _this _was how his mentor felt about Zack's antics. Looking back up into Fifi's glittery eyes, he gave her a resigned smile.

"_Please_ go back to the ranch for me."  
Fifi flapped her wings with an affirmative "Wark wark!" and promptly trotted back the way they had come. Cloud stifled a laugh.

"So you had to say the magic words, huh?" the cadet grinned from beneath his helmet.

"Oh shush," Zack turned to him, hands on his hips. "At least now she listens! Come on, we need to make some headway." The pair walked into the entrance to the Mines, Cloud still trying to stifle his mirth.

* * *

Zack led the way through the caves, taking out any small monsters that had the guts to attack them. His materia was strong enough to wipe out most of the bravest critters. He was pleased to find that the materia he had left equipped in the past was all nearly mastered, as well. It was certainly making their trek through the mines easier.

"Hey, Zack?" Cloud spoke up as a group of Crawlers were fried under the strength of the First's thundaga.

"Yeees, Spikey?" Zack was in a significantly better mood now that they were really on their way. He might not be able to do anything for Nibelheim from here, but at least now he was doing _something_. Here he could at least knock some monsters silly. He felt better being active.

Cloud, on the other hand, huffed around the corner leading to the next passage with annoyance. Keeping up with a SOLDIER was proving difficult for the cadet. "Tell me again why we have to go through here? Why couldn't they just send us in a helicopter?"  
Zack scoffed a bit. He'd asked Tseng the same question before they'd left. "Shortages, so they say."

"Huh…" The cadet muttered. "Um," he spoke up again, still a bit nervous to be talking to a SOLDIER so casually. "My orders…They got changed. Yours too, right?" The boy ducked under a prominent stalactite and caught up with the other. "After you asked me to go with you, Commander Grech told me my other mission got reassigned."

Zack didn't particularly like where this was going. "…Yeah. Last minute. Apparently I declined that one."

"I was going with you on the other mission?" At Zack's nod, the boy asked, "Where were we supposed to go? Before Fort Condor, I mean." Cloud walked next to Zack with his rifle held in front of him. The soldier could picture the curious, mako-less eyes behind that helmet clearly.

"Nibelheim," Zack provided, trying to busy himself by looking for more monsters.

Cloud stopped walking. "Nibel—_My hometown?_"

Zack stopped and sighed internally. He had hoped the topic wouldn't come up. He should have known better. He turned to Cloud with another nod. "Yeah, something about mutated monsters and a faulty reactor."

"Huh…" Cloud's gaze had dropped down. Whether to his rifle or the floor, Zack couldn't quite tell. However, the kid's unease was readily apparent.

"…You okay, buddy?" Zack asked.

Cloud's head snapped back up. "What? Oh, y-yeah. It's just uh…" He took off the helmet and ran a hand through his hair. The spikes drooped slightly from being stuck down for so long. "It's kind of a relief…I don't really want to go home just yet." Cloud smiled sheepishly at the other. "I've got things I wanna do first." Zack mirrored the smile and moved on.

They traversed the winding mines in silence for a while. Zack trying to keep his thoughts off of Cloud's tiny hometown, and Cloud trying to simply keep pace with a First Class. As Zack cut down an Ark Dragon, the cadet shouldered his own weapon.

"We were…supposed to go with someone else," Cloud muttered.

Zack finished off the dragon with a blizzaga spell and turned his head. "What's that?"

Cloud stepped around the monster and frowned. "To Nibelheim. Weren't we supposed to go with another SOLDIER?" His eyes widened a bit as another thought occurred to him. "And what about the reactor? Did they send someone else?"

"It's a solo mission now," Zack sighed.

"So…who has it?" Cloud asked. Zack could see the anxiety all over the kid's face. If there was something going wrong in his hometown, his friends and family were the most at risk. Of course, knowing who was going to supposedly _help_ them was making Zack's stomach turn.

Zack paused, his own worries hitting him full-force. "…Sephiroth."

Relief washed over the cadet's face, but then realization hit and Cloud's jaw dropped. The boy had stopped walking again, staring open-mouthed at Zack. His eyes sparkled with unabashed awe.

"_The_ Sephiroth? We were supposed to go with _Sephiroth?"_

Zack flinched. Cloud was still a fanboy.

"Uh," he fumbled for words. He'd told Cloud not to join SOLDIER in another lifetime - that it was a den of monsters - but now he needed him to. Cloud had to be his backup in case Sephiroth sided with Jenova again. Could he really encourage the kid to join SOLDIER while abandoning the idea that Sephiroth was a hero? The Cloud next to him probably wouldn't even entertain the idea that Sephiroth was anything less than a glorious and noble hero.

_Probably better to just go along with it for now._

"Yeah. We were."

"Have you…ever met him?" Cloud asked, his voice hushed as if speaking louder would be a dishonor to his idol.

"Uh-huh. Couple of times now." Zack commented, decidedly avoiding bringing up the sketchy past he had with the other First. Now was not the time to explain the whole Angeal-Genesis-Sephiroth dynamic and how it had all gone crazy.  
"Really?!" Cloud continued to gape at him. "What is he like? Is he as strong as they say he is? Have you seen him fight?"

Zack shot him a resigned smile. For such a reserved kid he sure could ask a lot of questions. He couldn't recall ever seeing him this excited about…anything. "He's…quiet. Kind of cold sometimes, but he'll open up on occasion. And he's a _lot_ stronger than they say." He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "He…used to train me sometimes. So I guess I've seen him fight pretty often."

"Wow…" Cloud breathed.

"Aaaanyway," Zack swung the Buster Sword to point ahead. "We really should get moving if we wanna get to Fort Condor by dark!"

Cloud was shaken out of his wonderment by this information. The boy readjusted his rifle, placed his helmet back on his head, and stepped quickly behind the other. "Right! Sorry, it's just…" he simpered. "Sephiroth is the reason I want to join SOLDIER."

Zack nodded, the action a tad more curt than he'd normally display. "You and a lot of others," he muttered. Cloud, still having unenhanced hearing, didn't catch it. Zack clambered up a nearby group of vines and onto a ledge. Outside a small tunneled out section he could see bits of daylight filtering into the cave. The light was a deep orange.

_Sunset already…_He turned and gave Cloud a hand up.

"Are we through yet?" the cadet asked.

Zack smiled and with a nod, strode out into the light. Far across the fields he could see the fort at the top of a small hill overlooking the ocean. Atop that fort was the famous (or infamous, in Shin-Ra's case) condor, huddled protectively in its nest. Though the condor looked larger than when AVALANCHE had visited. _Maybe the stress of all the fights made it lose weight, _Zack thought. _Or…Wait, what? _Zack squinted and held a hand over his eyes to block the glare of the sun. It wasn't that the condor was larger.

There were two of them.

Zack stared at the birds, confused. There was supposed to be only one of them, right? Thinking back he realized that the briefing he'd gotten at headquarters had only said 'condor-nest.' "Huh."

Cloud looked at the other in question. "What's up?"

"I thought there was only one condor. This might be more difficult…" He sighed. Leave it to Shin-Ra to not tell him everything he needed for the mission. Although, he realized, either Tseng or Sephiroth had been in charge of organizing this mission. He suddenly didn't feel like complaining to the mission handler anymore.

Zack attached his sword to the magnet on his back. "Alright, let's move."

* * *

Zack and Cloud stared up the wall. Supposedly, there was an entrance into the fort from this small cave. However, there was no way to scale the wall to get in. Zack frowned in impatience.

"Hey! Anybody home?" he called. The sun had long since set, and right now he just wanted to get to bed. They could deal with negotiations and inspections in the morning. That is, if they could get into the fort in the first place.

"Who's there?" a gruff voice answered him from above his head. Zack searched the dark top of the cave, but he couldn't locate the speaker.

"Zack Fair, SOLDIER First Class. There a way into the fort here?"

"SOLDIER, you say…" the voice sounded displeased.

"You might as well let them in. I told you they were coming," a younger voice commented. Zack's eyes widened. He _knew _that voice.

"_Kunsel?_"

A rope suddenly appeared out of the darkness, landing at the pair's feet. Zack looked to Cloud, who shrugged, and began climbing. When he had reached the top, he found himself in a small cave. Pipes broke through the rock on one side and continued to another unseen area. An elderly man wearing a wide-brimmed hat and dusty clothes was standing next to a rope ladder nearby. He didn't look especially pleased to have company. Next to the man, as Zack had guessed, was Kunsel. The other soldier waved amiably.

"Nice to see you finally made it."

"What are you doing here?" Zack asked, making room for Cloud to scramble up to join them.

"I told you last week that I was assigned to Fort Condor. I got here yesterday." Kunsel crossed his arms, feigned hurt entering his voice. "You really _don't _read my emails, do you?"

"Wha-Yes I do! I just…uh," Zack floundered.

"You two mind finishing your conversation later?" the man grumbled. "Bad enough Shin-Ra sent SOLDIERs. Why they think they need a First out here…" He turned away and climbed up the rope ladder.

"Not very friendly, huh?" Cloud looked up at Zack. The other answered with a confused shrug of his own.

"None of them are," Kunsel explained. "They want to protect the birds on top of the reactor."

"Well yeah, but we're just here to negotiate!" Zack placed his hands on his hips irritably. "There's no reason to act so uptight. But, man," he eyed Kunsel curiously. "What _are _you doing here? If you were coming to Fort Condor why didn't you just come with us?"

Kunsel's familiar knowing smile appeared. "I've got a different mission. My team and I are inspecting the reactor here at the fort."

_Why didn't they tell _me _that…_ Zack was miffed. This whole mission was getting on his nerves. He was a _First Class. _He outranked Kunsel, and probably the entirety of the other team. He didn't have nearly enough information for what he was supposed to do, not to mention the fact that the company had sent another team at all bugged him. It seemed pointless for him to be here.

Especially when he _could_ be stopping Sephiroth from going crazy.

"Well, you two will probably want to get some rest." Kunsel gestured to the rope ladder behind him. "Come on, I'll show you where you're staying."

Cloud gave Zack a concerned glance before following the Second up the ladder. Zack watched them go, eyes narrowing. This mission was starting to irk him, and not just because it was annoying. Too much of it was questionable. The fact that the locals already harbored animosity toward Shin-Ra and SOLDIER probably wouldn't make it go any smoother either. He ran a hand through his hair with a heavy sigh.

He'd just have to deal with it. Shin-Ra _was _a mess after all. It could easily just be some clerical error that there were two teams here. Zack finally began to climb his way up the ladder, figuring his luck might change tomorrow. The occupants of the fort might listen to reason and avoid conflict all together. Or, he almost smiled, maybe there _had_ been a mistake and the mission handler would reassign Zack to somewhere else.

His smile grew a bit more as Kunsel led them to another cavern with plush, comfortable-looking beds. He supposed things would go better after a good night's rest. As he detached his heavy armor and plopped onto the bed, he anticipated a better tomorrow. He drifted off to pleasant imaginings of amiable civilians, smooth negotiations, and Sephiroth staying away from the Shin-Ra mansion.


End file.
